Concise Bible Dictionary:
The member of the body which is capable of lifting burdens and defending the person: it is used symbolically for the power and strength of God on behalf of His saints (Ex. 15:16; Psa. 77:15; Isa. 51:9; Isa. 53:1). The arm of Jehovah is often spoken of in the Old Testament It redeemed (Ex. 6:6); gathers His own (Isa. 40:11); and rules for Him (Isa. 40:10), as in the kingdom. It is a holy arm (Isa. 52:10; Psa. 98:1); and it is a glorious arm (Isa. 63:12). The arm of the Lord is revealed to souls where there is repentance and faith in the report which God sends (Isa. 53:1; Rom. 10:16). It is to be trusted in even by the isles of the Gentiles, that is, by sinners everywhere in creation (Isa. 51:5).
From Manners and Customs of the Bible:
Isaiah 59:1. Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it can not save.
As the arm is an emblem of power, so shortness of arm signifies diminished power, and length of arm an increase. Thus it is said that Artaxerxes Longimanus, that is, the Long-handed, was so called, not because of any peculiarity of body, but because of the vast extent of his power. There is an ancient Egyptian sculpture in which the same bold figure is employed as the one used by the prophet in the text. It represents Thannyras, the son of Inarus, whom Artaxerxes had made Satrap of Egypt, worshiping the sun as his god. In this he disregarded the religion of his own people, and adopted that of their conquerors. The sun is represented as sending his rays down on the earth, and at the end of every ray is a hand.
See also Numbers 11:23 and Isaiah 50:2.
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